The
Augustinian theodicy, named for the 4th- and 5th-century theologian, philosopher and (according to some
Christian denominations) Saint
Augustine of Hippo, is a type of
Christian theodicy designed in response to the
evidential problem of evil. As such, it attempts to explain the probability of an
omnipotent (all-powerful) and
omnibenevolent (perfectly loving)
God amid evidence of evil in the world. A number of variations of this kind of theodicy have been proposed throughout history; their similarities were first described by the 20th-century philosopher
John Hick, who classified them as "Augustinian". They typically assert that God is perfectly (ideally)
good; that he created the world
out of nothing; and that evil is the result of humanity's
original sin. The entry of evil into the world is generally explained as punishment for
sin and its continued presence due to humans' misuse of
free will. God's goodness and benevolence, according to the Augustinian theodicy, remain perfect and without responsibility for evil or suffering.